SOURCE MAGAZINE

GraduatePhotographyOnline 2017

Theo Ellison

My work is born out of my attraction to, but distrust of, seductive imagery. Charisma, whether in people or in imagery wields a power over the mind that is inescapable, and this power has no bearing on the morality or truth being communicated. The relationship between seduction and moral ambiguity is an underlying theme; the advertisement aesthetic cajoling the viewer into enjoying an openly manipulative yet covertly sinister construction. This is linked with the idea of consent the consent of the subject whose image is taken, and the viewer who cannot avert their gaze. Delving into these triggers of compulsion, repulsion, and desire reveals their power and provides an iconoclastic dimension, however fleetingly, in which to view them.